Mrs. Patricia M. Stratton's Obituary
Patricia “Pat” M. Stratton, age 90, passed away in Muskegon on April 29, 2015, shortly after suffering a stroke. Pat was born on August 30, 1924, to John and Mary (Altheide) Haller in Saginaw, MI. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Michigan in 1946, and a Master of Library Science from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh in 1947. She started as a library page when she was 16 years old, and spent nine years as a children’s librarian in the Detroit Public Library System. In 1955, she married Dr. Donald P. Stratton, and they were married for 57 years, celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on Mackinac Island with 18 family members. Pat and Don moved to Muskegon in 1965, and remained there together until Don’s death in 2012.
A natural conversationalist, Pat was a member of Hackley Circle in Muskegon for more than 30 years. She enjoyed gardening, crafts, crocheting, creating photo albums, baking Christmas cookies, hosting family get-togethers, and frequenting the Whippi Dip and the Bookmobile. An avid reader with a particular interest in biographies and the British Royal Family, she and Don visited England five times. Their extensive travels also included tours throughout the United States, Russia, Scandinavia and Western Europe. She collected friends everywhere she went and was a best friend to many.
Pat is survived by three children and 10 grandchildren: Kathleen Stratton and Robert Cebelak (John, Mark, Kate, Claire) of Holland, MI, Karen Stratton and Roger Golliver (Benjamin and Emily, Daniel and Sarah, Aaron) of Beaverton, OR, and Robert and Mary Stratton (Elizabeth, Patrick, Will) of Crown Point, IN. In accordance with her wishes, cremation has taken place and no public services will be held. Contributions in her honor may be made to the Norton Shores Public Library (705 Seminole Rd, Norton Shores, MI 49441) or your local library.
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